I found this interesting.
http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/caterpillar-buys-locomotive-maker-m/
It is interesting that Caterpillar might want to make a go out of the old EMD reputation and compete with GE again. My thought is that Caterpillar will try to use their diesels motors and that might give them a new market or way to approach the major railroads that are still buying. They must be to offer the same kind of service and warranty coverage that has made GE the top dog in the locomotive market today.
By the way, 820 million sounds like play money for the EMD company if it had a good future in the market. Probably the lack of orders and future orders has sidelined the once great company to a yard track.
Quote from article.
Construction-equipment maker Caterpillar (CAT: 60.0484, -0.7016, -1.15%) said Tuesday it will buy locomotive maker Electro-Motive Diesel for $820 million from a private-equity firm.
The purchase would represent Caterpillar’s its first full foray in a rail equipment business at a time when more freight is being moved on rail and business leaders such as Warren Buffett have forecast more rail use in the fut
Hmmm, big yellow locomotives with treads instead of wheels, an interesting concept, that should eliminate wheel-slip.
I wonder what kind of plow they’ll use.
This is a redundant thread to the one in the Trains forum. There’s a bit better information in there, but I would point out that. The poster above sells EMD well short. And considering every time Cat has tried to put its larger engines in a locomotive, I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for them to replace the 710.
At least it has been bought by an American company with a workhorse reputation, rather than an unpronouncable Chinese firm that would hijack all the jobs overseas!
Hmm, this got moved out of the MR forum, but it’s still redundant to the other thread in the general trains forum.
So true, we have alot of Chinese wagons[cars] here in Australia and within a month safety notices come out alerting of cracks in the wagon body.